By Max Lane and Pramono (in Jakarta)
The frequency of protest actions in Indonesia has increased markedly over the last week. Worsening economic conditions, general anger over the lack of any real changes under the Habibie regime and students' return to campus after a three-month break are a volatile mixture.
Campuses are once again displaying banners rejecting Habibie, condemning the military and demanding that the people be fed. New student movement committees, called Komerad (Student and People's Democracy Committees), are forming.
A broad range of democratic activists organised a National Dialogue for Democracy on August 15-17. Playwright and former political prisoner Ratna Sarumpaet was a key organiser, along with leaders of the Committee for the Preparation for the Legalisation of the People's Democratic Party, known as PRD-Fist, including Ida Fajar and Wignyo Prasetyo.
The meeting, attended by scores of activists, adopted policies, including for an end to the political role of the armed forces and for the formation of a coalition transitional government.
Budiman Sujatmiko for president
The assembly announced its recommendations for president. They are Megawati Sukarnoputri, Abdurahman Wahid, Amien Rais and Budiman Sujatmiko.
According to assembly participants, Rais was the most unpopular candidate. When he visited the assembly and was asked to state his position on the Habibie regime, his ambiguous and hesitant response resulted in him being chanted off the stage with cries of "clown, clown". Wahid also received little explicit support.
Sukarnoputri's recommendation was applauded. When Sujatmiko's name was announced there was loud applause and some activists climbed on to tables to yell their support.
Prominent publisher and journalist Gunawan Muhammed told the assembly that the national dialogue was incomplete without the presence of Sujatmiko. Muhammed published the news weekly Tempo until it was banned in 1994. According to Muhammed, Sujatmiko has a clear political vision and is a leader for the future of Indonesia.
Muhammed is the second prominent intellectual to publicly support Sujatmiko for president. Nobel prize-nominated author Pramoedya Ananta Toer also made the call in a statement supporting the formation of PRD-Fist.
The National Dialogue for Democracy established a working group to formulate recommendations for the establishment of a democratic civilian coalition government.
Another issue raised at the conference was the desire of many people from outside of Java for greater decision-making decentralisation. Some participants raised the issue of separation from Indonesia.
It is rumoured that the PRD will be targeted by Habibie's new unit, National Vigilance Against the Potential for Disintegration, because the PRD is the only organisation to clearly support self-determination for West Papua, Aceh and East Timor.
Solo workers confront military
On August 25, 600 workers from the Tyfontek textile mill in Solo travelled to Jakarta to protest against the sacking of workers who had participated in demonstrations, and for payment of the minimum wage.
The workers also called for the release of labour leader Dita Sari, arrested in 1996. The protest was a part of strike action begun 23 days earlier.
The workers were attacked by the military while they were gathered outside the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute, where they were staying. Twenty workers were injured.
The next day, the workers gathered outside the ministry for labour office. The picket was supported by PRD-Fist, Workers' Committee for Reform Action, the People and Students' Council of Solo and the Megawati Supporters' Committee (KPM).
Labour minister Fahmi Idris eventually agreed to meet a delegation of workers. During the one-hour meeting, Idris avoided taking a position on any of the workers' demands. The workers therefore decided to stay outside the ministry until the minister agreed to travel with them back to Solo.
On August 27, the workers were joined by another 200 people and the newly formed Airline Workers' Solidarity Committee announced its support for the action. The airline workers' committee also launched their own action demanding that former employer Sempati Airlines pay all its sacked workers the legally required redundancy pay.
The Jakarta-based urban poor Pro-Reform People's Movement also sent solidarity greetings to the workers. Idris appeared on TV to denounce the demonstration as one organised by a "third force".
Struggle-PDI defence actions
In Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi, large, militant demonstrations have taken place against a congress held by the Suharto-installed Suryadi leadership of the officially recognised Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). The demonstrations were held despite a plea by Sukarnoputri, leader of the unrecognised PDI (Struggle-PDI), that her supporters not protest against the congress.
Seventeen people were injured on the first day when the military broke up the demonstration. Police were used on the second day. National TV broadcast footage of the demonstrations.
In Jakarta, the KPM, headed by Dr Ciptaning, secretary of the Struggle-PDI branch in the industrial estate area of Tangerang, also held a demonstration outside the ministry for defence office. The demonstrators demanded that military personnel involved in the attack on the PDI headquarters in July 1996, which ousted Sukarnoputri from the leadership, be brought to justice. Judges recently declared that they do not have the authority to make decisions against the government on this issue. The KPM also demanded an end to the political role of the military.
According to Dr Syahrir, a political prisoner in the 1970s and now a leading stockbroker, the economy is a time bomb which could lead to anarchy.
He told a seminar in Singapore on August 26 that there are now 20 million unemployed people in Indonesia and another 43 million hidden unemployed. The number of people living under the official poverty line has increased by 400% since 1996, from 22.5 million to 79.4 million. Food prices have risen 83% since the beginning of the year.
Not surprisingly, spontaneous attacks on food sources continue to occur, including attacks by hundreds of people on shrimp farms, granaries and food shops. Two thousand people looted rice mills in East Java on August 27. Demonstrations also occurred on August 26 against the arrest of villagers who were said to have taken a truck-load of fruit from a plantation.<>><>41559MS>n<>255D>